The 2011 Zanesville, Ohio animal escape was an incident where multiple animals were released from the Muskingum County Animal Farm, leading to the majority of them being killed by law enforcement.
| Date closed | October 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Muskingum County, Ohio, United States |
| Coordinates | 39.9466772°N 82.0625522°W / 39.9466772; -82.0625522 |
Muskingum County Animal Farm was a private zoo located in Zanesville, Ohio, United States.
The animal farm had been repeatedly reported for inadequate and unsafe housing for the animals, as well as insufficient water and food.[1]
On October 18, 2011, dozens of exotic animals were released from their enclosures.[2] Lions, tigers, bears,[3] and wolves were among the animals that escaped and were hunted by local law enforcement out of fear for public safety.[4] Owner Terry Thompson allegedly set free 50 of his 56 exotic animals before committing suicide by shooting himself in the head. Forty-eight animals were killed by the local police while two were presumed eaten by the other animals.[5][6] The animals confirmed to be dead were eighteen tigers, six black bears, two grizzly bears, two wolves, one macaque monkey, one baboon, three mountain lions, nine male lions, and eight lionesses.[6] Three leopards, a small bear, and two monkeys were left caged inside Thompson's home. These animals were tranquilized and sent to the Columbus Zoo.[7] One of the surviving leopards was subsequently injured in an accident at the zoo and was euthanized.[8]
Terry Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran, was a lifelong collector of exotic animals. In the years leading up to his death he went to prison on federal gun charges, he was heavily in debt, and his wife had left him.[9] He had acted as an animal handler on Wild Kingdom in 2008, and provided a lion cub to a photoshoot with Heidi Klum.[10]
Jack Hanna, TV wildlife expert and Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, lamented the killings but deemed the police actions necessary.[11] Ohio governor John Kasich called for a temporary moratorium on the sale of exotic animals.[6] In August 2012, Britain's Channel 4 broadcast a documentary on the animal release called America's Animal Hoarder: Horror at the Zoo, featuring footage of Thompson's animals and interviews with those who brought the situation under control.[12]
The Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness references the event in Episode 1 of Season 1. It includes footage of the escape and reactions from other private owners of exotic animals.[13]
Zoos of Ohio | |
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| Zoos |
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| Aquariums | |
| Defunct |
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